The Role of the Bujang Valley Site and the Chinese City Site in the Dynamics of the Malacca Strait Trade Network in the 12th–14th Centuries AD

DOI

10.2991/978-2-38476-499-0_12How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Bujang Valley; Kota Cina; Strait Of Malacca; Ancient Harbour; Maritime Archaeology

Abstract

This study examines the relationship between the Bujang Valley site (Kedah, Malaysia) and the Kota Cina site (North Sumatra, Indonesia) within the Strait of Malacca trade network during the 12th–14th centuries CE. Employing a descriptive–qualitative approach, the research integrates archaeological literature on Bujang Valley and Kota Cina with direct observation of the Kota Cina collections. The findings indicate that Bujang Valley, whose origins date back to the 5th century CE, maintained its function as a port and Hindu–Buddhist religious center into the medieval period, albeit with more selective intensity. Kota Cina, emerging in the late 11th century, grew rapidly into a cosmopolitan harbor, receiving Song–Yuan ceramics, Islamic-style glassware, Cola-period statuary, and commodities from the Middle East and Central Asia. Comparative analysis of the two sites reveals differentiated roles within the Strait of Malacca port system: Bujang Valley preserved long-standing networks with a strong religious foundation, whereas Kota Cina proved more adaptive to new markets and technologies. They complemented each other by exchanging ceramics, beads, glass, and spiritual symbols, shaping a dynamic economic and cultural landscape. These findings enrich the historiography of Southeast Asian trade and underscore the importance of cross-border preservation of ancient port heritage along the Strait of Malacca.

Copyright

© 2025 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Pristi Suhendro Lukitoyo
AU  - Ratih Baiduri
AU  - Pidia Amelia
AU  - Shaiful Shahidan
AU  - Rosmaida Sinaga
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/12/12
TI  - The Role of the Bujang Valley Site and the Chinese City Site in the Dynamics of the Malacca Strait Trade Network in the 12th–14th Centuries AD
BT  - Proceedings of the International Conference on Social Sciences and Interdisciplinary Studies (ICSSIS 2025)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 131
EP  - 146
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-499-0_12
DO  - 10.2991/978-2-38476-499-0_12
ID  - Lukitoyo2025
ER  -